Phagocyte priming by low magnesium status: input to the enhanced inflammatory and oxidative stress responses

Epidemiological and experimental studies underline the role of magnesium in inflammation. Several data indicate an enhanced response of phagocytes (granulocytes, macrophages) derived from magnesium-deficient animals or cultured under low magnesium conditions to the inflammatory mediators' stimulation. On the contrary, it was pointed out that high extracellular Mg2+ concentration might partially attenuate the activation of phagocyte leukocytes. Thus, it is likely that magnesium-deficient conditions lead to the priming (pre-activation) of phagocytic cells. Magnesium status is an important modulator of the phagocyte response to immune stimuli and consequently could be implicated in a wide range of pathophysiological issues, e.g. those related to the production of radical oxygen species (ROS). It is likely that magnesium directly modulates phagocyte priming by its calcium antagonism and indirectly by its effect on the immunoinflammatory processes, the source of the priming mediators.